D. Pluth et al., CARBON AND NITROGEN MINERALIZATION OF HARVESTING RESIDUES OF PINUS-SYLVESTRIS L DURING AEROBIC LABORATORY INCUBATION, Scandinavian journal of forest research, 10(2), 1995, pp. 97-107
The carbon and nitrogen mineralization dynamics of Pinus sylvestris L.
harvesting residues, when mixed with an acidic, nitrifying fen peat,
were studied during aerobic, laboratory incubation at 20-degrees-C ove
r 12 weeks. Green needle, brown needle and fine root showed a pattern
of curvilinear decline in C mineralization rate with time. The total a
mounts of C mineralized from those residues, expressed as a percentage
of their initial C content, were 52, 41 and 16%. Stem bark and stem w
ood mineralized more slowly; the value for stem bark was near zero. Wi
th the exception of stem bark, the harvesting residues enhanced the mi
neralization of added C-14-labelled glucose. During the early decompos
ition of the pine residues, the degree of net N immobilization of mine
ral N was related to the initial C/N ratio or total N concentration of
the residues and net N mineralization was negatively correlated with
mineralization of C. The remineralization rate of freshly immobilized
N was estimated as seven times faster than the mineralization rate of
the more recalcitrant native N from the fen peat. The added pine resid
ues did not influence measurably the nitrification capacity of the fen
peat.